Published: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 11:41 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 11:41 p.m.

SARASOTA - Tim Lin waited nervously outside the hospital delivery room. His heart was beating fast. His hands were sweating. He was anxious, just as any expectant father would be in that moment.

Except in this case, the baby belonged to Wei-Yin Chen, a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.

You see, Chen and Lin are teammates in the truest sense of the word, though Lin doesn't play baseball. He is Chen's interpreter, and the gesture to invite Lin to the hospital — an intimate moment for any family — shows the trust and friendship the two have developed since they started working together last spring.

“If you get an interpreter that's not good,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said, “it's going to be a long year.”

Why?

Well, because some interpreters might understand both languages but not the game of baseball, and some terms get “lost in translation,” Showalter said. Or the interpreter might not fit in with the clubhouse.

“It's a precious thing you're letting him come into for the whole season,” Showalter said. “He's traveling, in the locker room. . . . Can he blend in? Or is he the first guy in the lunch line and loud and getting in the way? They need to understand why they're there. They're there for that guy.”

Major League Baseball does not track how many interpreters there are in clubhouses because they work for the team, not MLB. Lin is employed by the Orioles.

But the need is clear. Last year, 28.4 percent of big- league ballplayers on Opening Day rosters (and disabled lists) were born outside the U.S., said Michael Teevan, an MLB public relations specialist.

“That was the third-highest total the MLB has ever had, and players at that time spanned 15 countries and territories outside the U.S.,” he said.

Last year Chen, a left-handed pitcher, went 12-11 with a 4.02 ERA as a rookie, one of the main reasons the Orioles were one of the surprise teams in 2012.

So, how did he do so well in a foreign environment during his first year?

Well, for starters, he threw strikes — that's key for any pitcher.

But above all, he was comfortable in new surroundings. And that has much to do with what an interpreter brings to the relationship.

“This might sound crazy but his interpreter was a lot more competent and understands the expectations and how it's to be presented," Showalter said.

If a pitcher isn't effective, he won't last in the majors.

The same goes for interpreters.

Last spring, Tsuyoshi Wada, a Japanese-born pitcher who also signed with the Orioles in 2011, had an interpreter who was not relaying information correctly to him at training sessions.

Management picked up on it quickly — “Our first cut of the spring,” Showalter said, meaning the translator, not Wada.

Now 24-year-old Seob Yoon is interpreting for Wada.

“I didn't know this was going to happen and at the time it was still all new to me,” said Yoon, who was an intern with the Orioles as an athletic trainer when he was asked to take the job. “But I'm enjoying it.”

The path to becomimg a baseball interpreter in the majors was different for Lin and Yoon. Lin, 29, got the chance while sitting in a summer class at UC Santa Barbara.

“My teacher asked if anyone could speak Mandarin and there were only two of us that raised our hands,” said Lin, who grew up in Taiwan and California. “He said the New York Yankees needed a translator, and I was the one picked to go.”

He worked with two Chinese players there as well as Chien-Ming Wang of Taiwan.

“They put him on waivers and offered me a job in the minors. I was about to take it when Chen's agent called me and asked if I would be his interpreter,” Lin said.

Yoon was already working in the Orioles clubhouse as an intern when he was asked to be Wada's interpreter.

Often, an interpreter's duties stretch beyond the ballpark. Lin, for example, helps Chen find Asian food in different cities (sometimes via the website Yelp), has helped him house-hunt and car-hunt, and even organized the baby shower for Chen's wife. When Chen went back to Taiwan during the off-season, Lin went with him.

Last year, Chen moved to Los Angeles, where Lin lives. “He asked me where I lived, and I said, ‘California,' ” Lin said. “So he said, ‘OK, we‘ll live in California, too.' ”

On a typical game day, Lin wakes up around 10 a.m., then heads to the ballpark and eats lunch (with Chen) around 1. He then guides Chen through his pregame routine, which includes stretching, a hot-tub session and a workout. Lin stretches and works out, too, alongside Chen.

“I'm not a baseball player so I try my best during workouts,” Lin said. “If Chen does 10 pull-ups, three is good for me.”

On road trips they sit together on the team bus. Like all big-leaguers, Lin gets his own hotel room on those trips. He also has his own locker in the clubhouse — his is just close to the coaches.

On days that Chen pitches, he gets a massage afterward. Lin has to be in the room for the session because the masseuse does not speak Mandarin.

Lin has been teased by co-workers for going the extra mile, but his assistance has been instrumental in bridging the big gap for Chen while he continues to get acclimated to American baseball and culture.

Often, Lin does not get to bed until 1 a.m., and it's not odd for his days to stretch 12-14 hours alongside Chen.

“It's hard because you have to give up a lot of your time,” Lin said. “You have to be his mentor, friend, and you have to take care of him off the field, too.”

Lin says the job is challenging and not one he'd like to do forever — he wants to one day be a sports agent “like Jerry Maguire” — but he enjoys the ups and downs of the game and when Chen performs really well.

His help is often unheralded because not many see what he does behind the scenes.

However, he could get his chance to shine this season, since MLB is changing its rules to allow translators to come to the mound to talk with pitchers during games.

“I would like some TV time,” Lin said with a giggle.

And he will always have that delivery-room moment. “Holding a newborn baby was an amazing experience,” he said.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - Tim Lin waited nervously outside the hospital delivery room. His heart was beating fast. His hands were sweating. He was anxious, just as any expectant father would be in that moment.</p><p>Except in this case, the baby belonged to Wei-Yin Chen, a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.</p><p>You see, Chen and Lin are teammates in the truest sense of the word, though Lin doesn't play baseball. He is Chen's interpreter, and the gesture to invite Lin to the hospital — an intimate moment for any family — shows the trust and friendship the two have developed since they started working together last spring.</p><p>“If you get an interpreter that's not good,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said, “it's going to be a long year.”</p><p>Why?</p><p>Well, because some interpreters might understand both languages but not the game of baseball, and some terms get “lost in translation,” Showalter said. Or the interpreter might not fit in with the clubhouse. </p><p>“It's a precious thing you're letting him come into for the whole season,” Showalter said. “He's traveling, in the locker room. . . . Can he blend in? Or is he the first guy in the lunch line and loud and getting in the way? They need to understand why they're there. They're there for that guy.”</p><p>Major League Baseball does not track how many interpreters there are in clubhouses because they work for the team, not MLB. Lin is employed by the Orioles. </p><p>But the need is clear. Last year, 28.4 percent of big- league ballplayers on Opening Day rosters (and disabled lists) were born outside the U.S., said Michael Teevan, an MLB public relations specialist.</p><p>“That was the third-highest total the MLB has ever had, and players at that time spanned 15 countries and territories outside the U.S.,” he said.</p><p>Last year Chen, a left-handed pitcher, went 12-11 with a 4.02 ERA as a rookie, one of the main reasons the Orioles were one of the surprise teams in 2012.</p><p>So, how did he do so well in a foreign environment during his first year? </p><p>Well, for starters, he threw strikes — that's key for any pitcher. </p><p>But above all, he was comfortable in new surroundings. And that has much to do with what an interpreter brings to the relationship.</p><p>“This might sound crazy but his interpreter was a lot more competent and understands the expectations and how it's to be presented," Showalter said. </p><p>If a pitcher isn't effective, he won't last in the majors.</p><p>The same goes for interpreters.</p><p>Last spring, Tsuyoshi Wada, a Japanese-born pitcher who also signed with the Orioles in 2011, had an interpreter who was not relaying information correctly to him at training sessions.</p><p>Management picked up on it quickly — “Our first cut of the spring,” Showalter said, meaning the translator, not Wada.</p><p>Now 24-year-old Seob Yoon is interpreting for Wada.</p><p>“I didn't know this was going to happen and at the time it was still all new to me,” said Yoon, who was an intern with the Orioles as an athletic trainer when he was asked to take the job. “But I'm enjoying it.” </p><p>The path to becomimg a baseball interpreter in the majors was different for Lin and Yoon. Lin, 29, got the chance while sitting in a summer class at UC Santa Barbara. </p><p>“My teacher asked if anyone could speak Mandarin and there were only two of us that raised our hands,” said Lin, who grew up in Taiwan and California. “He said the New York Yankees needed a translator, and I was the one picked to go.”</p><p>He worked with two Chinese players there as well as Chien-Ming Wang of Taiwan.</p><p>“They put him on waivers and offered me a job in the minors. I was about to take it when Chen's agent called me and asked if I would be his interpreter,” Lin said.</p><p>Yoon was already working in the Orioles clubhouse as an intern when he was asked to be Wada's interpreter.</p><p>Often, an interpreter's duties stretch beyond the ballpark. Lin, for example, helps Chen find Asian food in different cities (sometimes via the website Yelp), has helped him house-hunt and car-hunt, and even organized the baby shower for Chen's wife. When Chen went back to Taiwan during the off-season, Lin went with him.</p><p>Last year, Chen moved to Los Angeles, where Lin lives. “He asked me where I lived, and I said, 'California,' ” Lin said. “So he said, 'OK, we'll live in California, too.' ”</p><p>On a typical game day, Lin wakes up around 10 a.m., then heads to the ballpark and eats lunch (with Chen) around 1. He then guides Chen through his pregame routine, which includes stretching, a hot-tub session and a workout. Lin stretches and works out, too, alongside Chen. </p><p>“I'm not a baseball player so I try my best during workouts,” Lin said. “If Chen does 10 pull-ups, three is good for me.”</p><p>On road trips they sit together on the team bus. Like all big-leaguers, Lin gets his own hotel room on those trips. He also has his own locker in the clubhouse — his is just close to the coaches. </p><p>On days that Chen pitches, he gets a massage afterward. Lin has to be in the room for the session because the masseuse does not speak Mandarin.</p><p>Lin has been teased by co-workers for going the extra mile, but his assistance has been instrumental in bridging the big gap for Chen while he continues to get acclimated to American baseball and culture.</p><p>Often, Lin does not get to bed until 1 a.m., and it's not odd for his days to stretch 12-14 hours alongside Chen.</p><p>“It's hard because you have to give up a lot of your time,” Lin said. “You have to be his mentor, friend, and you have to take care of him off the field, too.”</p><p>Lin says the job is challenging and not one he'd like to do forever — he wants to one day be a sports agent “like Jerry Maguire” — but he enjoys the ups and downs of the game and when Chen performs really well.</p><p>His help is often unheralded because not many see what he does behind the scenes.</p><p>However, he could get his chance to shine this season, since MLB is changing its rules to allow translators to come to the mound to talk with pitchers during games. </p><p>“I would like some TV time,” Lin said with a giggle.</p><p>And he will always have that delivery-room moment. “Holding a newborn baby was an amazing experience,” he said.</p><p>And part of the job.NOTEStart</p>